Book 7: The Deathly Hallows - A Hermione x Male Reader Story

Carefully Placed Trust

(A/N) Apologies to mainly @Antovirlou for any discrepancies or mistranslations that this chapter has. I use Google Translate, like always, for non-English languages in my stories and such, so if the French in this chapter is off, that's why.

The Delacours arrived the following morning at eleven o'clock. (Y/N) was feeling rather odd and uncomfortable to be seeing Fleur's family again. She hadn't talked badly about him to them, he hoped not at least. They didn't try to kill him in his Fourth Year after the Final Task for bringing their daughter to tears, so that was something, but it still felt weird to know that he would be officially meeting them today.

He had never truly apologized to Fleur, and part of him felt like he didn't have to officially apologize, but that wouldn't be completely fair to Fleur. As they awaited the arrival of her parents, he walked back inside, telling them he'd be right back. He sought out Fleur and found her in the Kitchen area, "Fleur, can I talk to you for a moment before your parents and sister arrive?"

She turned to him with a smile, "Of course, what is it zat you need?"

"I want to apologize properly to you for what happened back during the Tournament... I never did, and I'm sorry for that..." He glanced out the window briefly, "You had every right to tell your parents, and you didn't... why?"

Fleur smiled at him sadly, "I was very 'urt by it, zat much is true, but I could not force you to love me eef you didn't. I talked with, I believe 'er name is Luna, and she told me about all ze good you did for 'er, and of course, you saved Gabrielle, zere was no way I could be mad at you after zat," she walked up to him and embraced him, "I wrote about you to my parents, and when I told zem zat we were no longer togezer and zat it was mutual, zey were okay wiz it." She let go of him and stepped back, "now go out and greet zem, I will be out shortly."

"Okay," he smiled, thankful that she didn't have any lasting ill will towards him, and went back outside in time to hear an unusually high-pitched laugh, which turned out to be coming from Arthur, who appeared at the gate moments later, laden with luggage and leading a beautiful blonde woman in long, leaf-green robes, who could only be Fleur's mother, "No question where Fleur gets her looks from," he whispered, causing Hermione to shake her head.

Monsieur Delacour was nowhere near as attractive as his wife; he was a head shorter and extremely plump, with a little, pointed black beard; however, he looked good-natured. He was bounding toward Molly on high-heeled boots, he kissed her twice on each cheek, leaving her flustered.

"You 'ave been to too much trouble for us," he said in a deep voice, "Fleur tells us you 'ave been working very 'ard for our arrival and for ze wedding."

"Maman! Papa!" Fleur cried as she ran out of the Burrow, embracing her mother as she got to her.

"Oh, it's been nothing, nothing," trilled Molly, "no trouble at all."

"Dear lady!" Monsieur Delacour said, still holding Molly's hand between his two plump ones and beaming, "we are most honored at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline."

Madame Delacour glided forward and stooped to kiss Molly's cheeks like her husband had, "Enchantée," she said, "your 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!"

Arthur gave a maniacal laugh; Molly threw him a look, upon which he became immediately silent and assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend.

"And, of course, you 'ave met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!" Monsieur Delacour said. Gabrielle was Fleur in miniature; eleven years old, with waist-length hair of pure, silvery blonde, she gave Molly a dazzling smile and hugged her, then threw (Y/N) a glowing look, batting her eyelashes. He felt mildly uncomfortable as he smiled back at her.